The applause didn't follow us out.
Only silence did.
The hallway beyond the conference room felt strangely empty, like the building itself was holding its breath after everything that had been said. No cameras. No microphones. Just the soft echo of our footsteps against polished floors.
Arjun was the first to break it.
"Well," he said lightly, rolling his shoulders with a small wince, "if I ever fake my death again, remind me to pick a quieter comeback."
Despite everything, a weak laugh escaped me.
Riyan didn't smile.
He walked a few steps ahead, phone pressed to his ear again, already dealing with consequences most people would never see—boards collapsing, allies switching sides, enemies resurfacing.
"Yes," he said calmly. "Freeze all discretionary accounts. And no, I don't care whose name is on them."
He ended the call and stopped, turning to face us.
"It's started," he said. "The fallout."
Arjun nodded. "It was always going to."
I watched Riyan closely.
This was the moment I had been afraid of—the one where victory left space for doubt, guilt, and the weight of everything he'd lost.
"You okay?" I asked softly.
He looked at me for a long second before answering.
"I don't know how to be," he said honestly. "I spent years hating you because it was easier than hating myself. And now…"
He exhaled. "Now I have to live with that."
The words landed quietly, but they hurt more than any accusation ever had.
"I don't want apologies," I said. "I want honesty. From now on."
He nodded once. "You have it."
Arjun leaned against the wall, arms crossed carefully.
"You know," he said, "while you two were busy destroying reputations, a very persistent nurse reminded me I'm supposed to rest."
Riyan shot him a look. "You're not leaving the hospital."
"I'm not," Arjun replied. "But you are."
He looked at me meaningfully.
"She is too."
I blinked. "What?"
"You can't go back to that house," Arjun continued. "Not tonight. Not after what we just did."
Riyan was already shaking his head.
"No. She stays with me."
Arjun raised an eyebrow. "In the same house that tried to erase her?"
Silence stretched.
Riyan turned to me, conflict flickering across his face.
"What do you want?" he asked quietly.
The question caught me off guard.
Not what's best.
Not what's safe.
What I wanted.
"I don't want to go back there tonight," I admitted. "I need… space. Just to breathe."
Riyan nodded slowly, even though it clearly cost him something.
"Okay," he said. "We'll arrange security. Somewhere neutral."
Arjun smiled faintly. "Good. Because the next phase isn't about survival anymore."
"It's about rebuilding," I said.
He pointed at me. "Exactly."
Later, when Arjun was wheeled back into his room and Riyan stepped away to handle another call, I found myself alone by a window overlooking the city.
The same city that had once judged me in silence.
Now it buzzed with my name, my story, my truth.
For the first time, that didn't feel terrifying.
It felt… earned.
My phone vibrated in my hand.
A single message from an unknown number.
Unknown:
You took something from me today.
My breath hitched.
Another message followed almost instantly.
Unknown:
This isn't over.
I locked the screen slowly.
Because I finally understood something.
Winning a war doesn't mean the enemy disappears.
It means they change their face.
And as I turned back toward the room where Riyan and Arjun waited—
I knew one thing for certain.
I wasn't afraid anymore.
Whatever came next…
I would face it standing.